Rate my skillz!

Anything to do with games at all.
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plasticcoated
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Joined in 2009

PostRate my skillz!
by plasticcoated » Wed Jan 13, 2010 10:39 am

I've always been interested in writing especially about games. But the question is am I any good. AS with anyone, I'd like to think I'm ok but need some reassurance or indeed guidance. So I put it to you ladies and gents, my dear friends, to put me in my place... crush or feed my ego.
This small piece is the first thing I've written in a bloody long time and was part of my (failled) application for a spot at nintendolife.com
Read it and slate it, please.

Change

Once in a while something comes along that changes everything, it could be a small seemingly insignificant change, but ultimately it changes everything. Nintendo invented change. A bold statement but one that’s quite true when the details are laid on the table. The Wii is a testament to this. Every generation of hardware, every generation of software and new release, every, new iteration of a console brings about a change.

Let’s take a look at two things: Controllers and Mario Kart. Two simple things that are so naturally Nintendo, are prime examples of how Nintendo are pioneers and mighty setters of benchmarks. Firstly the controllers over the years have evolved and every other machine has practically followed suit or used Nintendo’s model to make slight improvements.
The NES’s basic rectangle was genuinely usable despite its shape, the buttons clicked just right, the D-Pad was perfectly responsive and a cheaper, more durable solution than massive joysticks from other consoles. Sega built upon it by adding curves and a single button. Nintendo’s next step? Shoulder buttons on the rounded SNES pad along with 2 more buttons on the face and a colour coding system that stuck right through top the GameCube.
Only Sony could topple it by adding a second set of shoulder buttons and ergonomic prongs. Then game the revolution, Nintendo didn’t quite invent it, but they brought three dimensional analogue controls to the forefront of gaming and made it a standard.
The Nintendo64’s control pad was sublime, it retained the colour coding of the SNES pad but lost the X and Y buttons in favour of a third shoulder button the legendary Z trigger which lives on today as the Wii’s B button. The N64 also brought about force feedback with the Rumble Pak, something else which is a standard today. The Gamecube’s fiddly effort whilst a deviation from the standards previously set that were replicated by both Nintendo and Microsoft still brought new things to the table which still hold true today: The big A button, it was the most used button on the pad and whilst it’s shrunk it’s the most used button on a Wii remote.
The main change brought in with the GameCube was the Wavebird, the first truly brilliant wireless controller. Wireless controllers being something all consoles have today straight out of the box. Nintendo brought that about. The next big thing? Decent motion control, the Wii spectacularly blew expectations and worries out of the window with its movement and pointer controls which have altered how even the most normal games can be played. Again, something rivals Sony and Microsoft are desperately trying to improve upon.

That was just a brief, if potentially boring history of the major industry changing points Nintendo have drummed up and that’s just when it comes to basic control. In terms of software, Mario Kart is a brilliant example of how over the course of a decade and a bit a series has been changed to be better than ever. Initially a pseudo-3D racer on the SNES, Super Mario Kart immediately become the best and reigning cartoon kart racer known to mankind. Tight controls, a balanced character selection and well designed courses and that all important multi-player mode made it an instant classic.
The next instalment on the Nintendo 64 brought with it the biggest changes and the changes that still stand up today. Firstly Mario Kart was now truly three dimensional., this allowed for a blistering increase in quality of course design. The analogue control brought about by the format was divine. Another N64 standard that Mario Kart 64 embraced was the 4-player multiplayer mode which now is still a big part of the series. The Power slide became rewarding and still is. Super Circuit on the GameBoy Advance introduced a ranking system which rewarded skill and that has survived and lives on in Mario Kart Wii. Double Dash on the GameCube gave us the wacky vehicles and day-glow visuals which are still present (although luckily optional in the case of the vehicles).
The DS iteration brought about a celebration of Mario Kart’s past by including Retro cups whereby old courses from the series were playable. And the mighty inclusion of an online multiplayer mode is one that has become an obsession with the current Wii Mario Kart title. The biggest change in the Wii’s Mario Kart are the (optional) motion controls which when learned do work brilliantly.

Again, another brief rundown of how a few little tweaks here and there have given us a game like Mario Kart Wii which is so instantly familiar, yet deviously new enough to master. A game that bears resemblance to it’s progenitor but is altogether more full of content and modes (not least forgetting Nintendo’s regular Competitions on the Mario Kart Channel) and surprises it will be on most Wii owners most –played list for a long time. That’s just one software example of a series evolution, new franchises over the years like, Pikmin, Chibi-Robo and the Wii Sports/Fit range explore new avenues of gaming experiences.

As stated at the beginning of this piece, Nintendo are changers. They tweak, re-fine and completely and utterly throw caution to the wind and invent new things. As a result, they change everything, the little changes they bring about every now again change everything. And for that they must be applauded, what’s not to like about keeping people and an entire multi-billion dollar industry on its toes?

Last edited by plasticcoated on Thu Jan 14, 2010 9:20 am, edited 1 time in total.
:msgreen:
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DrDoom
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Joined in 2008

PostRe: Rate my skillz!
by DrDoom » Wed Jan 13, 2010 6:28 pm

The first thing. . . to get anyone to even read and rate that you need to format it correctly. Use paragraphs more.

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plasticcoated
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Joined in 2009

PostRe: Rate my skillz!
by plasticcoated » Thu Jan 14, 2010 9:18 am

DrDoom wrote:The first thing. . . to get anyone to even read and rate that you need to format it correctly. Use paragraphs more.


In my defense it was just copied and pasted from a web text box :shifty:

:msgreen:
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grog monster 64
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Joined in 2009
AKA: RadGravity

PostRe: Rate my skillz!
by grog monster 64 » Mon Jan 18, 2010 2:36 am

The main problem I can see is that you basically list a number of fairly obvious points about Nintendo's achievements, without any analysis or context. I'd say Nintendo's key control innovation was the cross-key d-pad, something which has never been bettered, despite your suggestion that the megadrive and PlayStation pads improved on Nintendo's design by adding curves, handles and extra buttons, to give just one example.
Following an incredibly long paragraph with an admission that said paragraph was full of boring information is like a slap in the face for the reader. If it's boring, perhaps it's better to leave it out?
I think the idea that 'Nintendo invented change' is a really odd thing to suggest, and sadly nothing in your piece backs it up. They innovate, they embrace change as an economic necessity, sure, but they categorically did not invent it.
Ultimately, your piece is a love-letter to Nintendo but one in which your gushing praise gets in the way of a structured, cohesive argument. A fact-free run down of Mario Kart's iterative differences says more about change for its own sake than your assertion that it reinforces Nintendo's credentials as fearless innovators.
I'm sorry if my observations are harsh, but it is probably best for you to give yourself word limits to work within. Having to express everything you want with a fifth of the space you'd like is a great way to trim the fat. And if you get published the chances are you'll have to cram lots of clear, well reasoned points into a few hundred words. Sincerely though, good luck.

Last edited by grog monster 64 on Mon Jan 18, 2010 10:20 am, edited 1 time in total.
Ginga
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Joined in 2008

PostRe: Rate my skillz!
by Ginga » Mon Jan 18, 2010 6:23 am

Well, here's some things I noticed...

- When you're writing anything it's always a good idea to avoid repetition of the same word. You used 'Nintendo' four times in the space of your first two paragraphs. It might seem like a small point but it's a fairly easy way to show up your limitations as a writer and to bore the reader.

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The NES’s basic rectangle was genuinely usable despite its shape


I don't know what this phrase means. 'Genuinely usable'? You could say that, "despite its irregular shape, the classic NES' button layout was so perfectly integrated and intuitive, that its place as an industry benchmark was secured from day one."

Alright, it's not great but that's just off the top of my head - I'm sure you could come up with something far better if you thought about it.

- There's quite a lot of spelling mistakes.

- It's not very interesting. I genuinely couldn't give a gooseberry fool about controller layouts if it's simply a list of console controls. Add life to it - explain why they were changed, where the inspiration came from, talk about home consoles versus arcade machines and the bearing that had on ergonomics.

- Using the term "decent" to describe the Wii's motion control before hailing it as game-changing seconds later is a bizarre shift. It's either utterly fantastic from the off or it's merely "decent"?

- "most normal" - again, a terrible turn of phrase. Use 'basic/simplest of games'. What's 'normal', exactly?

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The next instalment on the Nintendo 64 brought with it the biggest changes and the changes that still stand up today


See my first point.

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that was just a brief, if potentially boring history of the major industry changing points Nintendo have drummed up and that’s just when it comes to basic control.


Yes, it was. So why did you bother writing it? You're not writing for Office Supplies Monthly. There's no reason to dwell on tedious details or information if there's no entertainment value there. It's especially important if you're copy is being used in job application.

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Again, another brief rundown of how a few little tweaks here and there have given us a game like Mario Kart Wii which is so instantly familiar, yet deviously new enough to master


Deviously new enough to master? It just doesn't make any sense. I'm not being funny but using a Thesaurus and a Dictionary when you're looking for the perfect phrase can be a step in the right direction.

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They tweak, re-fine and completely and utterly throw caution to the wind and invent new things


Another terrible turn of phrase.

In all honesty, the entire piece lacks any real insight whatsoever - it's a dribble about Nintendo being wonderful that glosses the surface on a subject that has been the basis for thousands of articles and theses over the last 20 years. You mention Mario Kart and Nintendo but somehow manage to repeat yourself and find nothing of real interest in either subject. How is that even possible?

If you really want to be a writer then you should do some more research. Not just into Nintendo but into popular culture - you simply can't have your head buried in the sand and filled with Iwata's gospel.

I'm sorry if that all sounds harsh. Please don't be put off or upset about it - everyone has to hear the same horrible home truths before they can improve. Really, don't take it personally because it's all part of learning a particularly difficult skill.

I really do wish you the best of luck, though. If you've ever got any questions then let me know :)

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plasticcoated
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Joined in 2009

PostRe: Rate my skillz!
by plasticcoated » Mon Jan 18, 2010 9:12 am

Points taken on board.
:o

:msgreen:

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